In 1939 and 1940, trees were planted to mark the centenary of New Zealand, and the area was named Centennial Drive, but was neglected through World War II.
In 1956 the Centennial Drive Development Society was formed to develop the area into a park with assistance of local voluntary groups. The Drive was then transformed into an extensive collection of trees, many of them labelled. In 1964 the Tainui Street entrance was marked by the placing of a 13 tonne rock and surrounding pool – a memorial to Maori, missionaries and early settlers of Matamata.
During 1993 part of the Drive was established as a Magnolia Grove in the memory of Viola Bell, who was the first President of the Society for a period of twenty-seven years and a major contributor to the Matamata community. Regular planting and minor maintenance is undertaken by volunteers from the Centennial Drive Society, with Matamata-Piako District Council undertaking grass cutting, litter control, and major tree work.
How to claim this Virtual Cache - You simply need to visit the coordinates and take a photo of a body part or an item of your geocaching equipment (phone or GPS) in front of the fountain.
You must attach the photo to your log to claim the Virtual.
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Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.